


Wherefore Art Thou Charming?

by ruethereal



Category: SHINee
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Pre-Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-04-05
Updated: 2011-04-05
Packaged: 2017-10-17 15:02:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 644
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/178095
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ruethereal/pseuds/ruethereal
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Where is one when you actually want one, huh?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Wherefore Art Thou Charming?

Almighty is right.  There’s nothing Kibum can’t do, really.  He can sing, dance, cook, accessorize, slander.  He’s even a wonderful mother at the tender age of nineteen (never mind that he’s, well, a ‘he’).

“Make sure you get the back ones too, Minnie.”

Taemin nods and manages to grin while maneuvering the foamy toothbrush around his mouth.  Kibum returns the smile, tousling the maknae’s hair.

“Tae-ah, your shirt.”

And indeed, the younger boy skipped a button when doing up his shirt.  He doesn’t need to, but after deftly rearranging Taemin’s buttons, Kibum straightens Taemin’s bowtie.

“You’re getting water everywhere, silly.”

Kibum forestalls the maknae’s apology with a light-hearted tut, tut and no, no before snatching up a dish towel and cleaning up around the kitchen sink himself.

“No sneaking the lights back on, okay?”

Kibum tucks the blanket under Taemin’s chin.  Kibum entertains the idea of kissing him on the forehead (it’s been a while since he has) but contents himself with one last smile.

“Hyung, your shoelaces.”

Kibum glances down at his feet.  Ah.  Those.

“Aren’t you going to tie them?” Taemin continues, blinking innocently.  “What if you fall?”

“It’s the coordi-noona’s job,” Kibum huffs, craning his neck every which way.  “Where is one when you actually want one, huh?”

The maknae’s laugh tinkles brightly in spite of his efforts to mute it with the palm of his hand.

“Just do it yourself, hyung.”

Kibum frowns, peering at the shoelace in question.  The audacity.  What was it doing, coming out of its knot like that?  How unprofessional.  And where’s that damn noona?  Without thinking, Kibum pivots dizzyingly and desperately, the offending shoe as his axis, still in search of help.

“Hyung?”

Taemin.  He stares into Taemin’s face, wondering.  No, he couldn’t and shouldn’t.  Not Taemin.  Never Taemin ever.  Heaving a defeated sigh, Kibum kneels to tackle the shoelace.

This way and then that and over and round then under again?

“Hyung?”

Kibum almost topples over, so engrossed in the puny and pathetic challenge of, yes, tying his shoe.

“Do you need help?”

More tinkling laughter, and Kibum resolutely hides behind his bangs.  But before he can answer with feigned bravado that, of course not, why should he need help tying his shoelaces, or at least shove them out of the way until he could find someone, anyone other than Taemin to do it for him—

“Come on then.”

—Taemin kneels in front of him, tiny hands shooing Kibum’s away and finally taming, defeating the shoelace-turned-monster-criminal-demon.

“There.”

Kibum blinks down at the neatly tied knot, then musters up the courage to look Taemin in the face.  And instead of looking smug or devious or mocking, the younger boy merely smiles.  Kibum diverts his eyes.

“Can you teach me?”

“Nope.”

Kibum’s first instinct would be to scowl at the maknae, second to threaten him (nicely).  But Taemin is grinning as innocently as ever.

“Why not?” he grunts, getting to his feet then offering Taemin a hand up, which the younger boy takes though staying on one knee, peering up at Kibum.

“This way,” he says, leaning forward slightly so his lips brush the back of Kibum’s hand, so Kibum can only see the top of his head (but Kibum can still hear the smile in the boy’s voice), “you can be my princess instead of my mom.”

With that, Taemin seals his proposal with the softest of kisses.

The spell stays intact even when the maknae finally stands, looking pleased and proud with himself (never mind that his blush is mirrored in Kibum’s cheeks).

“What makes you think you’re a prince?” he scoffs, cocking his head to indicate they ought to make their way to the others.

Taemin answers with a shrug and a smile before striding away.

And before someone, anyone (especially Taemin) can catch him, Kibum kneels to undo his other shoelace.

“Tae-ah!”


End file.
